# Planner

The **Planner** node variant allows you to plan a to-do or event. It works with the user to schedule a time slot based on the availability configured in the [calendar](https://manuals.dialox.ai/studio/content/calendars) section:

<figure><img src="https://3356808761-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FEBQHGJABNTj5ISSOTRxM%2Fuploads%2FWpXuUFR9QERcOTN9Ewu9%2FScreenshot%20from%202025-09-29%2014-31-50.png?alt=media&#x26;token=af3afde9-7e36-4d9b-82c3-ae2045248127" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Conversation strategy options

The Planner node allows for four different conversation strategies for choosing a time slot:

<table><thead><tr><th width="326">Strategy</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>directly suggest 1 option</td><td>The Bot will directly propose the first available option, to which the user only has to reply yes or no. If answering no, the Bot will propose the next available option.</td></tr><tr><td>directly suggest multiple options</td><td>The Bot will directly propose a couple of options out of which the user can choose. The user can also ask for more options, after which the Bot will present the next couple of slots.</td></tr><tr><td>first ask before suggesting 1 option</td><td>The Bot will ask for the user's preferred date and time before proposing an option that comes closest to the user's preference. The user can then answer with either yes or no.</td></tr><tr><td>first ask before suggesting multiple options</td><td>The Bot will ask for the user's preferred date and time before proposing a couple of options that come close to the user's preference.</td></tr></tbody></table>

The other properties that are configurable in all four variants are almost identical, see the below node properties section for more details.

## Node properties

| Property                      | Description                                                                                                | Explanation                                                                                                                                                        |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Strategy                      | Conversation strategy                                                                                      | The way the conversation will elicit the date and time, see above.                                                                                                 |
| Question (multiple choice)    | The question text for choosing one of the provided options                                                 | Only applicable when the conversation strategy involves proposing multiple options.                                                                                |
| Question (one suggestion)     | The question text for confirming one proposed option                                                       | Applicable when the conversation strategy involves proposing a single option or when the user requested a particular date and time that just needs to be verified. |
| Try again                     | The repeat question when unusable input is provided                                                        | This is optional                                                                                                                                                   |
| Failed text                   | The text to show when the proposed option is no longer available                                           | This only happens when an option becomes unavailable between asking for a time and the user confirming it.                                                         |
| Assign to                     | To assign the planned event to a variable in the conversation                                              |                                                                                                                                                                    |
| Flow to collect event details | The Flow that is executed to elicit more information from the user just before creating the to-do or Event | For instance to get the name, phone number and reason for the meeting from the user.                                                                               |
| Title                         | The title for the to-do or event to create                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                                    |
| Description                   | The description for the to-do or event to create                                                           |                                                                                                                                                                    |

## Dialog triggers

If the planning requires too many turns, the dialog trigger `__ask_max_unknown__` can be used to get users out of the conversation. This way, endless loops can be prevented.

## Resources

* [planner](https://manuals.dialox.ai/store/skills/planner "mention")
* [calendars](https://manuals.dialox.ai/studio/content/calendars "mention")